Jaguar XE S REVIEW | 2016 XE S – Smart, And Racy, But Not Quite The ‘Gran Turismo’
THERE WILL COME A VERSION OF JAGUAR’S NEW XE MID-SIZER WITH SOMETHING BIGGER AND BADDER UNDER THE BONNET, BUT RIGHT NOW THE 2016 XE S HOLDS THE ‘PERFORMANCE’ CROWN.
It runs to a formula not unlike Audi’s S range - a very quick sporting sedan, but without the need for all-balls-out urgency.
The ace up the sleeve of the XE S is its supercharged V6 engine - the same as you’ll find in the brilliant F-Type roadster, albeit in its lower state of tune, and in a very different kind of vehicle.
Vehicle Style: Luxury medium sedan
Price: $104,200 (plus on-roads)
Engine/trans: 250kW/450Nm 3.0 6cyl supercharged petrol | 8spd automatic
Fuel Economy claimed: 8.1 l/100km | tested: 11.1 l/100km
OVERVIEW
When TMR took to the streets in the Jaguar F-Type roadster, we adored it - the engine is a firecracker, and the vehicle wrapped around it is near perfect in form and in function.
But a two-door roadster is a very different beast from a four-door executive sedan.
So, fittingly, there’s been a few changes made to civilise the new mid-size XE S - not to engine output, that remains the same - but there’s softer handling that the whole family can enjoy, and a more neighborhood-friendly exhaust note.